Palma´s Son Dureta hospital banks on cancer research

THE Son Dureta University Hospital in Palma has set up a Tumour Bank which is to become an integral part of the National Cancer Research Centre, dedicated to developing new treatment against the disease. Yesterday's presentation of the new unit was attended by the regional minister for Health and Consumer Affairs, Aina Csatillo; the head of the “Sa Nostra” banking foundation, Llorenc Huguet; the hospital's managing director, Carles Ricci; the centre's medical director, Javier Martin; and co-ordinator of the National Tumour Bank network, Manuel Morente. Son Dureta's tumour bank will function along similar lines to that created at the Son Llatzer Hospital Foundation, east of Palma, at the beginning of this year. The minister for Health signalled that the purpose of the Tumour Bank is to amass a collection of growths, captured at the height of their development, so that they can be used for research purposes. She made clear that “these scientific advances will benefit cancer patients in the long term”, pointing out that 3'500 new cases of cancer emerge every year in the Balearics. The National Tumour Bank Network was set up in 2000 by the National Centre for Cancer Research and is currently made up of some twenty Spanish hospitals. Manuel Morente gave assurances that nowadays, the preservation of tumours once extracted from the human body, presents no problem at all: “The samples are frozen with liquid nitrogen at a temperature of minus 80 degrees and in this condition, they can remain for some 3'000 years without fear of deterioration.” He added that thanks to the availability of such samples, better knowledge of their development is attained as well as know-how on their early detection and how far they are resistant to pharmaceutical treatment.